All dogs enjoy playing in gardens and, for most of them, spending time outside acts as an important part of their daily routine. However, there are many potential dangers lurking outdoors so, for their safety and welfare, it pays to ensure the garden is dog-friendly.

It will also provide peace of mind if you are going away on holiday and leaving your dogs at home. The biggest threat to dogs is when a garden is not secure and there is a chance they can escape onto nearby roads. For this reason, all boundary fencing should be tall, strong and reach to ground level. Gates and latches need to be dog-proof too. Alternatively, perimeter hedging must be thick and bushy and have no dog-sized gaps. If you have a small or medium-sized animal, it's often worthwhile erecting an additional barrier of fine wire mesh (2ft to 4ft high and on the garden side) at the base of hedges.

A garden pond can be a real danger to a dog, especially if it is deep and has steep sides but a secure cover of stout netting or mesh should act as a suitable detterent.

Ornamental containers and statues are heavy and easily knocked over by active dogs - position them where there is the least chance of any accidents.

Garden tools, lawnmowers and other machinery should always be kept in a locked shed or garage when not in use, rubbish bins and compost heaps need to be safe and secure and never give dogs access to areas housing garden chemicals.

Certain plants, such as laburnum trees, yew (Taxus baccata), lupins, columbine (aquilegia), ivy (Hedera helix), lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis) are toxic to dogs and are best avoided if at all possible.

Finally, if a dog spend a lot of time in the garden, a kennel is an ideal investment, as it gives them somewhere to relax and shelter from rain and strong sunshine - access to water is essential at all times.